More Spitzer Appointments Expected

Word has it that there will be more Spitzer administration appointments coming down the pike this afternoon.

Sources say OliviaÂ Golden, who served as the assistant secretaryÂ for children and familiesÂ at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Clinton, is on deck to becomeÂ the governor’s new director of state operations.

Under former Gov. George Pataki the person in the “state ops” post served as a day-t-day COO for all the state agencies and authorities.

The last person to hold the job was James Natoli, who was moved off the second floor in 2003 to become the state’s director of disaster preparedness and response – then a newly-created position.

Sources also say that formerÂ LG candidate Leecia Eve, a former counsel to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and daughter of former state Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur Eve, is on tap to receive a position in the new administration.

Then-candidate Eliot Spitzer angered some prominent African American elected officials – including dean of New York’s Congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-Harlem, when he passed Leecia Eve over last January in favor of now-LG David Paterson.

Rangel publicly rebuked Spitzer for not informing black leaders who had endorsed Eve, like himself, and former state Secretary of State Basil Paterson (David Paterson’s father), of his decision to run with the former minority leader.

The Congressman later relented and endorsed Spitzer for governor.Â Eve accepted an unpaid post with Spitzer’s campaign. Â

Among the other appointments, as already reported by Newsday’s Spin Cycle, will be former U.S. Attorney/ex-AG candidate Denise O’Donnell for Division of Criminal Justice Services director.

Sean Patrick Maloney, another former AG candidate, will be formally announced asÂ a first deputy secretary, reporting to Spitzer’s Chief of Staff Rich Baum,Â even though he let the cat out of the bag about his new job earlier in the week.Â Â